One hit wonders

[hhsailor]

Popular music abounds with performers and song writers who had one hit and then zip. Some examples:<BR>Johnny Ray and "Cry"<BR>The Drifters and "Under the Boardwalk"<BR>Frank Mangionni (sp) and "Rise"<BR>Harry Arlen and "As Time Goes By"<BR>Mel Torme (my favorite male vocalist) who wrote over 200 songs but only one became a hit; "The Christmas Song".<BR>Are there similar one hit wonders in classical music or does the form make them rare or unlikely?

[shostakovich]

There are lots of "one hit" composers in the sense that more might be known of their music, but only one piece made it to "stardom". Some examples are:<BR>Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel<BR>Ponchielli: La Gioconda<BR>Leoncavallo: I Pagliacci<BR>(Mascagni did a bit more than Cavalleria Rusticana)<P>Other than opera hits we have<BR>Gould: American Salute (a pity it's his only "hit")<BR>Dukas: Sorcerer's Apprentice<BR>D'Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain Air<P>These are the ones that pop into my head right now, but the subject is fertile.<BR>Shos<p>[ 09-15-2002: Message edited by: shostakovich ]

[dkm32]

Well! I never thought I find myself defending someone other that a Strauss on this BB, but here goes:<P>The Drifters a "one hit wonders" ???!!! And, you didn't even pick their biggest hit!!! Let's see...<P><I>There Goes My Baby</I> #1; on the charts for 14 weeks<P><I>Save Last Dance For Me</I> #1; on the charts for 14 weeks<P><I>Up On The Roof</I> (My personal favorite) #5; on the charts for 12 weeks<P>And, others... <I>On Broadway</I>; <I>Dance With Me</I>; <I>(If You Cry) True Love</I>; <I>This Magic Moment</I>; <I>Save Last Dance For Me</I>; <I>I Count The Tears</I>; <I>Some Kind Of Wonderful</I>; <I>Please Stay</I>; <I>Sweets For My Sweet</I>; <I>When The Little Girl Is Smiling</I>; <I>I'll Take You Home</I>; <I>I've Got Sand in My Shoes</I>; <I>Saturday Night At The Movies</I>.<P>The list goes on and on. One hit wonders? I think not! <P>And as to Johnnie Ray: He put 25 hits in the top thirty from 1951 to 1957.<p>[ 09-15-2002: Message edited by: dkm32 ]

[Bones]

How can anyone call one of the greatest vocal groups in history "one hit wonders?" The Drifters were on the top of the charts for years, and rivaled the Four Tops and Temptations for the title of greatest male R&B group of all time. The group was a springboard for a couple of its lead singers, most notably, Clyde McFadder and Ben E. King.<P>One hit wonders, indeed!<P>[ 09-15-2002: Message edited by: Bones ]<p>[ 09-16-2002: Message edited by: Bones ]

[barfle]

Ferde Grofe didn't do much that was anywhere nearly as well known as "Grand Canyon Suite," even though he did a lot of other very good music like "Death Valley Suite," "Mississippi Suite," and others.

[shostakovich]

Hi Barfle. I hope you have been able to unpack your LPs by now and get back to hearing the good stuff that never made it to tape or CD. I've been paying more attention to my own LPs lately. The old timers sound very good for their age. Even the commie 1812 comes through in its old "low-fidelity".<BR>Shos

[barfle]

Hi, Shos.<P>Well, the record collection unpacking and sorting remains a work in progress, but at least I've been able to get enough equipment set up that I've been able to spin a few of the old vinyl classics.<P>I lived in my last house 20 years, and I'd forgotten just how much work it is settling into a new place! Just sitting and listening to music is a rare treat, but I really love doing it (until I feel guilty about not having shelves in the garage, about not having a decent furnace with fall almost here, about having a lawn full of tree roots...you get the idea)!